'How To Dress To Attract Man' TikTok Trend Cleverly Satirises Male Gaze

Women on TikTok are fighting against the patriarchy in new and interesting ways through viral trends. In one, women on the social media platform  TikTok dress according to an audio track advising them what to wear to catch a man's eye. The catch? They're dressing the opposite of what the track tells them to wear, often in very outlandish ways.

From wearing heavy-knit jumpers when told to wear a crop top, to huge boots when asked to wear silver heels, women on the app have purposely misinterpreted how to dress to attract a man for satire. 

The TikTok Trend

TikTok has always been the site for comedy, but this trend takes it to a new level. These fit videos are simple- women stand in front of the camera, and accordingly wear clothes with the backing track dictating what to wear- with a twist. 

If the backing track says, "Wear a short skirt to show off your legs," women users making the video will wear multiple different things, like ski pants. The more outrageously outlandish the fits are to what the backing track says, the funnier the video. 

The Male Gaze

TikTok user @veronicashavie's original video, which has the viral backing track that is essential to the trend, was the first video that took part in the trend to take aim at the concept of the 'male gaze'. In fact, the whole TikTok trend takes aim at patriarchal structures that dictate the behaviour of women, right down to how they dress. 

While systemic inequalities that divide men from women cannot be solved with one TikTok video, trends like these on social media create a discussion about these issues in the first place. TikTok trends can be dangerous and absurd, but this trend is a demonstration of how the platform can be used for something positive, to start a conversation. TikTok trends like these satirize the 'male gaze', enforcing the idea that women should dress for themselves no matter what. 

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